After leaving Calton Hill, we continued our city exploration, when we came upon Princess Street Gardens, an oasis of green and flowers, in an otherwise mostly grey city. ​This park was right up my alley: in spite of the cold, there were plenty of flowers blooming, including lilacs and a colorful sea of rhododendron bushes. The most important sight though was “on top" of this park: on its rocky platform stood the magical Edinburgh Castle; the views of it were fantastic.

Before we entered the park, we walked towards the Scott Monument, a Victorian Gothic-style work of art, built in honor of the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, which is the second largest monument in the world, dedicated to a writer. ​
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Upon entering the park, I found myself taking photo after photo of its every corner. This is where I went off on the path leading to the flower bushes - couldn't help it, I'm a flower lover! ​And yes, I present you the real style of a freezing tourist: hoodie on top of a cardigan, because it was COLD!

The flower paths took me to the equally impressive Ross fountain, with inarguably (IMO) the best views in the park.

From here we continued on to stumble upon the famous Greyfriars Kirkyard. I'm glad I didn't know at the time that it is allegedly, the most haunted cemetery in the world as I was again, walking away from my husband to take whatever photo. Yet again, I was mesmerized by the cemetery. It's not just the intricate designs of the graves that impressed me, it's the 400-year-old structures and the peace dominating there; after all, it is a graveyard and we should respect it. Adding to its charm, spring was in full bloom: the flower carpet and the green against the dark grey stones created quite the scene.

At this very yellow bush (I wish you could have smelled it), we met the first American couple on our trip -- it felt good to run into something "familiar", among all the newness. We exchanged where we were from (they were from Chicago), made some impressions, took photos of each other, and went on our separate ways.

​As usual, we got hungry at around 4pm. Our feet were hurting pretty bad at that point and we needed a break. Totally unplanned, as we left Greyfriars, we walked to find the Grassmarket, a bustling district full of shopping opportunities and restaurants.

Edinburgh seems to follow the same schedule as Glasgow when it comes to restaurants. While looking for a place to eat that was open, we stumbled upon "Made in Italy" and after checking the menu, we decided to eat there. I don't remember what else we had, but I distinctly remember having spinach and ricotta stromboli for myself, and chorizo stromboli for my husband. I say distinctly because the strombolis were STUFFED and huge, and we could barely finish them. We basically rolled out of the restaurant. Oh, and yes, the food was very good. ​​

​With our bellies full, we continued our random walk to end up on Rose Street, another historic and pretty area in Edinburgh, full of pubs and boutiques. We apparently got there at "off-hours" as not much was happening, and after snapping a few photos, we continued through.

Exploring further, we found the Royal Mile, which was bustling with crowds. Street performers, spectators cheering, tourists, it was all a bit crazy walking into it, after basically being the only ones in the places we've seen in the last hour. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time here, especially since the wind was a bit more than my frozen body could take.

Travel tips: 1) When you find yourself here, pay attention to the tiny streets called a "close", as they lead to many hidden gems. 2)The Royal Mile connects The Edinburgh Castle with the Palace of Holyrood, in case you are time-pressed and want to take a more direct route.

We headed to the Edinburgh Castle up the Royal Mile, but changed our minds about visiting it, and instead, hit the many stores in search of authentic Scottish souvenirs. When I say authentic, I mean souvenirs that are not just representing Scotland one way or another but are actually made in Scotland. One thing we had in mind was some object representing a certain Scottish clan, but finding it made in Scotland turned out to be a chase.

This brings me to... I urge you to be more conscious in your travels and buy souvenirs that are made in the country you're visiting (locally-made would be even better), that way you're truly supporting the place and you get an authentic piece, rather than some cheap, mass-produced object. Yes, you'll most likely have to pay more but I think it's well worth it. Generally, the product has a label which should state that it was made somewhere in the country.

Speaking of souvenirs... cashmere and wool are like synonyms for Scotland. Produced locally, it's often much cheaper and of superior quality. And yes, tartan is Scotland's signature pattern. I deeply regret not purchasing a cashmere scarf for myself there, but we did find it for my husband... ultimately in the pattern we were looking for and made in Scotland. Of course, I didn't leave myself out and bought a traditional, made in Scotland "souvenir", that I hope to cherish for a long time. ​

We were beyond tired at this point and I'd be lying if I said I didn’t have blisters on my feet. Our train back to Glasgow was supposed to leave sometime after 8pm.

There were beyond any doubt, more things to see and do in Edinburgh, but one can only take in so much in one day. We were also so cold that even the sun coming out didn't do much for us at that point. As there is a shopping mall within Waverley station, we planned to spend some time there, before leaving. Once there though, we realized we could take an earlier train back and decided to do so since the mall didn’t turn out to be as exciting for us as we had hoped.

Walking towards the train station, we marveled at the incredibly beautiful city Edinburgh is. The castle and its platform, the old architecture in the city, and the life it harbors were all charming and quite an experience. There is no doubt in my mind that we'll return there as there's more to explore. If you're considering visiting this city, by all means, do so, as I recommend it wholeheartedly, but bring some warm clothes, no matter the time of the year.

Have you ever been to Edinburgh, Scotland?

Until next time.
xoxo,
​Em